The Wonders of His Love: A 2018 Family Advent Guide

Check back December 1st for the printable advent guide!

Recently, I read a blog post entitled "Christmas Is Too Big for One Day" in which the author states that the Christmas story is more than just a few paragraphs in Luke 2 that Linus recites in "A Charlie Brown Christmas". We couldn't agree more! Reading Luke 2 on Christmas morning is like opening to the last page of a book to see how the story ends, but this story is too good, too amazing to miss out on each and every step of the journey!

A Family Advent Guide

We want to invite you on a journey for the next 25 days through the big story of God’s amazing plan for creation using "The Wonders of His Love: A Family Advent Guide". As we count down the days to Christmas, our hope is that God would use this guide to give you a better understanding of God’s purposes in the world, grow the wonder of the Christmas story in your own hearts, and produce awe and wonder in the hearts of your children. With this year’s theme our desire is that you and your family will take time this Christmas season to let your eyes widen and your jaws drop open at the glory of God displayed in the story He’s written from creation to the stable in Bethlehem!

How To Use This Guide

A few thoughts on how to use this Family Advent Guide. First, just use it. Our hope is that you would, at the very least, make a commitment to read through the Scripture each day for the next 25 days. Be encouraged by the truths of God’s Word that will never return void. We want this to be “doable” for your family, so do what is best, but do something.

Second, depending on the age and maturity of your children, the daily Scripture readings are accompanied by devotions written to help your family connect the dots of the amazing story that God has been writing and continues to write in human history today. There are two discussion questions intended to spark conversation around your dinner table or your child’s bedside each day. Let them help you further consider how the ancient stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Elijah (among others) connect with our world today.

Lastly, we have fashioned this in the tradition of “The Jesse Tree”. Each day, your family will have an opportunity to draw/color an ornament to hang on the tree that tells a little piece of the Christmas story. A Jesse Tree can be something as simple as a dead branch from your yard or a small Christmas tree you buy. Either way, find a way to display the ornaments for each day for the next 25 days as you build anticipation leading up to Christmas morning.

Our Hope

We hope that these next 25 days will draw you closer to the Savior we worship, not just at Christmas, but all year long! May the Lord fill your hearts and homes with the wonders of His love this Advent season! Joy to the world, the Lord is come!!